The Election Commission has invited 83 foreign observers from seven international organisations and 26 countries to monitor the parliamentary election scheduled for 12 February.
The arrival of foreign observers — including those from the Forum of Election Management Bodies of South Asia, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Commonwealth Secretariat, Asian Network for Free Elections, Association of World Election Bodies, National Democratic Institute, and the International Republican Institute — is expected to begin on 9 February.
The invited observers include representatives from the United Kingdom, the United States, Poland, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia and Uganda, as well as other countries from Asia, Africa and beyond.
The commission will hold an inter-ministry meeting on Thursday at 10am at its head office in Agargaon, Dhaka, to discuss security clearance, visa processing and other logistical matters related to the observers.
The EC has arranged accommodation for the observers at the Hotel InterContinental and will bear the costs of their accommodation and in-country transportation during their five-day observation of the electoral process.
The commission will also hold a detailed briefing on electoral issues for foreign and domestic observers and journalists on 11 February at the same hotel.
Ruhul Amin Mollik, director of public relations and information officer of the EC, told TIMES of Bangladesh that the commission is expecting about 400 to 500 foreign observers to monitor the overall electoral process of the upcoming 13th national polls.
The Election Commission introduced a registration system for observer organisations in 2008, under which organisations are registered for a five-year term to observe elections.
According to the United Nations, election observation is a valuable tool for improving the quality of elections. Observers help build public confidence in the integrity of electoral processes and can promote and protect the civil and political rights of participants.
Observation can also lead to the correction of errors or weak practices, even while an election process is under way, and can deter manipulation and fraud or expose such problems if they occur.
